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vented certain new airs States JAMES M. POLLARD, on WASHINGTON, nis'raio'r or D BEVERLY R. ooounss, or sans NEW YORK, N. Y.

'lO HIMSELF AN L. KELLOGG, OF

EXPLOSlt E AND PROCES$ (3i Malt c a o 3 t SPEOIFICATIGH forming" part of Letters Patxrt n0.

Application filed N ovemher 6, 1890 ated Eleven-aloe:

Serial i-To.370,5Z2, (130 specimens.

To (l/ZZ whom ifima-y concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES BI. POLLARD, a n tizcn of the United States, residingat \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have inand useful Improvements in Explosives and in Processes of Manufacturing the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to boa full, clear, and exact descriptien oi the invention, such as will enable othcrs skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in gun and mining powders and in compounds therefor, as well as in novel processes of incorporating, granulating, and waterproofing the same, all as trill be fully described hereinafter, and it is especially applicable to classes of explosives hitherto considered dangerous of fabrication and incorporation and unstable after manutactuue.

The objects of my invention are to obtain perfect incorporation of theingredients ofeompounds that can not safely be incorporated by the ordinary mixing-machines; to secure thorough waterproofing of the particles composing such compounds to render the manufacture safe and economical, and reliable as to all matters of storage, transportation, and use.

My invention consists in the process of first ,lninutely subdividing, as by grinding, to an impalpable powder the chloratcs nitrates, &c., which contain the oxygcln'and also grinding separately the charcoal, carbonates, sulphates or sulphur, where these are employed; in melting one or more of the ingredients of the compound to be formed at a temperature below the melting or decomposing, or volatilizing or oxidizing tcnlperatnres'of any of the other ingredients, and in then adding such othcringredieuts to the melted substance and raising the temperaturethereto, whereby the finely-divided solids act by capillary attraction. to absorb and distribute the melted substance uniformly throughout the mass, and are then intimately mingled with each other, all as will be more specifically described hereinafter.

My invention further consists in incorporatin" the melted substance as one of the ind or he boiling-point. no es? ocinmerc melts at about 180 :echeit, i ter beds at 212" Fahrcnheluaud sulphur Y 2155 Fahrenheit, so that l am enabled 1 the sulphur in its powdered form to the arafiine, which it absorbs, and to thoroughly coat each infinitesimal particle of with the melted hydrocarbon Without danger of melting the sulphur, which in this instance is to be avoided. l next add the chlorate, either previously raising the temperature to or. near 212 Fahrenheit or permitting it to gradually acquire that temperature after adsorbed or has become permeated log; the fluid hydrocarbon. I then thoroughly incorporate the mass for the double purpose of mixing the sulphur and the chlorate with the sulphhr and chlorate a covering of the melted paraliine. I then press the compound into cartridges or grains of the form desired or permit it to gradually cool, meantime subjecting it to continuous and vigorous stirring or incorporation, Detonating compounds act tobest advantage it in fine powder, and if cooled in the manner described each particle retains its coating of parafl'lne and does not adhere to the others, while if it is allowed to cool in a mass and the mass is subsequently broken up thehydrocarbon separates by fracture cleanly from the sulphur or the chlorate and permits actual contact between them,thns forming-a most dangerously-sensitive compound. \Vhe'u cooled in a mass, this powder becomes ver 1 firm and solid, and if then prushed to powder the powder consists mostly e to mix: dry fric' the sulphur" ditlon, and let it remain until it has abeach other and of insuring each particleol' of separate particles oi. chlorate of sulphur and of detached iilmsol crystalline paraliine, intimately mingled, but in no sense waterproofcd, or with the chlorate and sulphur separate from each other, as by my process. The incorporation is, moreover, notas perfect as by my process and the detonation much less energetic. I contemplate passing the hot product through fine sieves and letting the particles fall some distance, if necessary retarding them by a current of cold air, if I should find it necessary to economize time in this manner. Combined by the foregoing process I have made a series of grades of explosive composed of the following proportions:

No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. b. No. 0. No. 7. Chlorate of po- 725 e00 500 400 an 200 tassium n Nitrate of potaaslum 100 E00 300 400 50 Sulphur... larafline I These are all detonating compounds, the violence of detonation perceptibly diminishing with each grade'from No. 1 to No.7. No.. 1 is more powerful than No. 1 dynamite and is far less sensitive and dangerous to manufacture or use. N o. 7 is about equal to twenty per cent. of nitro-glycerine with an active or explosive base.

I propose to employ for the most sensitive and dangerous componndshydrocarbons having as high melting and igniting points as 4 my process will admit of incorporating in order to reduce the liability to accident, while for difiicultly-ignited compounds I may employ nitip-hydrocarbons, it being understood that in describing my process and claiming the same I mean to include all substances adapted to said process.

I am aware that explosive matters have been treated with hydrocarbons in solution' or of a fluid or viscous nature. These I do not claim.

I am aware that sulphur and the other ingrediontsof gunpowder have been incorporated in the ordinary manner and the product thus formed submitted to a temperature exceedin g the melting-point ot' sulphuigwhereby the sulphur was fused; but this is obviously not at all the equivalent of my process.

I am also aware that parafiine has been incorporated with a variety of other substances to form explosive compounds; but

thishas usually been accomplished by solution orby melting two or more of the ingredients together and then breaking up and incorporating the mass, and has never, so far as I know or believe, been used in the mannor described herein.

I am also awarethat e'hlorates-as of potassium-and nitrates.'as of potassium-have been combined in a compound with-oxidizable matters to form an explosive.

I therefore claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent-- 1. The process of incorporating together chlorates and sulphur, which consists in coating the finely-divided particles of the same with a hydrocarbon maintained in a melted condition at a temperaturebelow the melting-temperature of the sulphur, and in then agitating said substances, whereby they are coated and lubricated with the inert hydrocarbon during the incorporation, as described and set forth. I

2. The mode or process-0t incorporating oxygen-bearing salts and sulphur, which consists in first melting a hydrocarbon solid at .normal temperature and having a meltingpoint belowthat of sulphur, introducing thereinto finely-divided sulphur, preferably in the form of flour, agitating the compound so as to provide for each particle of sulphur a coating of the hydrocarbon,th en introducing into the compound a finely-divided orrygenbearing salt or salts, such as described, and again agitating the mass to likewise form a coating for each particle of the oxygen-bearing salt or salts and for intermingling the same with the sulphur, for the purpose set forth.

3. The herein-described explosive powder,

composed of chlorate and sulphur, the particles of each constituent being coated with parafline, as set forth.

t. The herein described explosive com pound, composed of finely-divided sulphur, chlorate, and nitrate,- the particles of each constituent having a coating of parafiine, as setforth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signatn re in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. POLLARD.

Witnesses:

S. WOLF, SAML. H. JACOBSON. 

